The Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race
The boat race now has a strong American accent but it is still mostly won, and lost, by English public schoolboys
Sporting ritual draws friends and countrymen together. Every year in American, for instance, the Super Bowl empties shops and restaurants as families gather round their televisions to watch the football game. Americans abroad seek each other out to do the same, drink Budweiser beer and feel homesick.
In England, some of these annual rituals have a class dimension. Along with Henley, Cowes and Ascot, the most notable is the boat race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which takes place for the 142nd time this weekend. If the weather is good, as many as 300,000 people may gather on the banks of the River Thames on Saturday April 6th to watch 16 sturdy men plus their coxes sweating over the 4.25-mile course. Actually, most people will see the boats flash past, catch up with friends from Oxbridge days, drink Pimms and lemonade (a peculiar concoction enjoyed by English society) and slip into a pub for the rest of the afternoon.
The race has always had an upper and upper-middle class taste. First rowed in 1829, it dates back to the glory days of Empire, when the young men in the boats would go on to rule the colonies. So it is ironic that in many of its practices the boat race is now more American than British. The coaches are well-paid. Both universities give perks to deserving oarsmen. Cambridge offers sports bursaries (athletic scholarships); Oxford sometimes provides free accommodation. Several of the oarsmen enter the universities to row rather than to study (although, as at the best universities in the United States, they still have to be up-to-scratch academically). The race is commercially sponsored and it is televised. Such characteristics are commonplace in American college sport but rare in Britain.
However, it is the fact that some of the rowers are not English, or even undergraduates that really raises eyebrows in England. For some sports commentators, these are worrying signs of national decline.
They could not be more wrong. For one thing, foreign nationals have been rowing in the boat race for at least a century; for another, even in the past few years, when the race has been heavily sponsored by businesses with deep pockets, floppy-haired former pupils from famous English public (that is, expensive private) schools have continued to predominate, as they always have.
Besides, the Americans who row in the race are usually as aristocratic as Americans can be. This year there is one American in the Cambridge boat and four in the Oxford boat. Some learnt to row at exclusive boarding schools; all studied at ivy-league colleges before coming to Britain.
Rowing is intrinsically a sport for the affluent. Any school that offers it must also have a river, or at least access to one. The equipment is expensive, and is getting more so as new training devices are developed — such as rowing tanks, where oarsmen can row indoors.
Men do not reach their peak strength, however, until their late 20s — and rowing is a sport where strength matters. Rowers of Olympic standard can effortlessly lift grown women as if they were little children. So it is not surprising that as Oxford and Cambridge have increased the numbers of graduate students that they accept, the number of graduate students rowing in the boat race has increased, too.
This means that the boat race produces rowing of a high standard. Both boats consistently contain national oarsmen and sometimes Olympic medal winners --- although the sporting-career pattern of the rowers has changed. When fewer graduate students rowed, the event was the start of an international career; now it may be the end. Oarsmen who have rowed in almost every race that matters come to one of these two universities for their swan song.
Earlier this century, members of Oxford and Cambridge university cricket, athletic and rugby teams were also world class. They are now well below that standard. Only the boat-race teams have remained of international calibre, at least in a good year. Or so it is said. Actually proving it is quite difficult. One of the oddities of the boat race is that the teams rarely race against anybody else. Other rowing teams are now just gearing up for the summer rowing season. But for the Oxbridge oarsmen, the boat race is the culmination of six months of hard training; and after the race the teams tend to splinter, often never to row together again.
But, proof aside, the experts are confident that in rowing at least Oxbridge is still world class. Exactly why rowing has remained within reach of international standards while other Oxbridge sports have slipped is something of a mystery. The money, of course, helps — rowing standards are driven in part by technology. The dedication to training that the boat race exacts is perhaps another part of the explanation. In America, college teams are forbidden to practise more than a certain number of hours a week; no such rule holds in England.
Given all this, it will be interesting to see the outcome of the next race. The Oxford-Cambridge boat race is watched because it has always been watched and because these two universities continue to fascinate the English.
The Oxford-Cambridge boat race started in 1829 and has become an event important for almost everyone who is or was linked to the two universities. The race, however, is losing its tradition in several ways. First, it is becoming more and more commercial: coaches, businessmen with deep pockets, advertisements and extensive TV coverage. Secondly, many oarsmen come to Cambridge or Oxford rather than to study. They are either given scholarships or . Furthermore, more and more students are rowing. Some people think these changes indicate the of the United Kingdom.
Rowing is an expensive sport. Many oarsmen who have rowed for Cambridge or Oxford were former pupils of public schools that only parents could afford to send their children to. These schools usually have access to a river and expensive facilities like . Other factors that contribute to the strength of the two teams include new sports technology and oarsmen’s and their coaches’ dedication to training.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Finding a word that describes how often the boat race happens
Correct Answer: annual
Why this is correct: The summary says the boat race has become an ___ event. The passage says 'some of these annual rituals have a class dimension' and then names the boat race. So the answer is annual.
Passage Reference: In England, some of these annual rituals have a class dimension. Along with Henley, Cowes and Ascot, the most notable is the boat race
Common Mistake: Some students write yearly, which means the same thing but is not the passage word. You must copy the exact word from the passage.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'annual rituals' = Summary: 'an ___ event'
Tips: When the summary uses a general phrase like 'event', look for the more specific adjective in the passage that describes frequency.
Key Vocabulary:
- annual = happening every year
- ritual = traditional event
Question Focus: Describing the type of coaches involved in the race
Correct Answer: well-paid
Passage Reference: The coaches are well-paid. Both universities give perks to deserving oarsmen.
Why this is correct: The summary lists signs that the race is becoming more commercial: ___ coaches, businessmen, advertisements. The passage says 'The coaches are well-paid.' Copy that exact word.
Common Mistake: Students might write professional or expensive, which make sense but are not in the passage. Always scan for the exact words.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'The coaches are well-paid' = Summary: '___ coaches'
Tips: Hyphenated words like 'well-paid' count as one word in IELTS. Do not worry about the word limit here.
Key Vocabulary:
- well-paid = receiving a high salary
- perks = extra benefits
Question Focus: Identifying the reason oarsmen come to the universities
Correct Answer: to row
Passage Reference: Several of the oarsmen enter the universities to row rather than to study
Why this is correct: The summary says oarsmen come to Cambridge or Oxford ___ rather than to study. The passage uses the exact phrase 'enter the universities to row rather than to study'. So copy to row.
Common Mistake: Some students write for rowing, which changes the grammar. The passage uses the infinitive 'to row', so match it exactly.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'enter the universities to row rather than to study' = Summary: 'come to Cambridge or Oxford ___ rather than to study'
Tips: When you see 'rather than' in both the summary and passage, the answer is usually the word or phrase that sits right before it.
Key Vocabulary:
- oarsmen = rowers
- enter = come to / join
Question Focus: Identifying perks given to oarsmen who are not on scholarships
Correct Answer: free accomodation
Passage Reference: Cambridge offers sports bursaries (athletic scholarships); Oxford sometimes provides free accommodation.
Why this is correct: The summary says oarsmen are either given scholarships or ___. The passage explains that Cambridge offers bursaries (scholarships) and Oxford sometimes provides free accommodation. Since the summary already mentions scholarships, the gap needs the other perk.
Common Mistake: Writing only accommodation is accepted but misses the key detail. Writing bursaries would be wrong because that matches 'scholarships' which is already in the summary.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'sports bursaries (athletic scholarships)' = Summary: 'scholarships'; Passage: 'free accommodation' = Summary: '___'
Tips: When the summary already includes one item from a pair, the gap will be the other item. Look for words like 'or' and 'either' as signals.
Key Vocabulary:
- bursaries = scholarships / financial awards
- accommodation = a place to live
Question Focus: Identifying the type of students who are now rowing more
Correct Answer: graduate
Passage Reference: as Oxford and Cambridge have increased the numbers of graduate students that they accept, the number of graduate students rowing in the boat race has increased, too.
Why this is correct: The summary says more and more ___ students are rowing. The passage clearly states that 'the number of graduate students rowing in the boat race has increased'. So the answer is graduate.
Common Mistake: Writing foreign would be wrong - that idea appears in a different paragraph about a different concern. This is a wrong section trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the number of graduate students rowing has increased' = Summary: 'more and more ___ students are rowing'
Tips: When you see 'more and more' in the summary, look for 'increased' or 'growing' in the passage to find the matching section.
Key Vocabulary:
- graduate student = a student studying for a master's or PhD
- peak strength = maximum physical power
Question Focus: Finding the word that describes what these changes indicate about the UK
Correct Answer: decline
Passage Reference: these are worrying signs of national decline.
Why this is correct: The summary says some people think these changes indicate the ___ of the United Kingdom. The passage states 'these are worrying signs of national decline'. Copy the word decline.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes write change or weakness, which are not in the passage. Always look for the exact wording.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'worrying signs of national decline' = Summary: 'indicate the ___ of the United Kingdom'
Tips: Negative words like 'worrying' in the passage often pair with a strong noun. Look for the noun that follows.
Key Vocabulary:
- decline = getting worse or weaker
- worrying = causing concern
Question Focus: Describing the type of parents who can afford expensive schools
Correct Answer: affluent
Passage Reference: Rowing is intrinsically a sport for the affluent. Any school that offers it must also have a river, or at least access to one. The equipment is expensive, and is getting more so as new training device
Why this is correct: The summary says these schools are ones that only ___ parents could afford. The passage says 'Rowing is intrinsically a sport for the affluent' and describes expensive schools. The answer is affluent.
Common Mistake: Writing rich or wealthy would be a synonym trap. These words mean the same thing, but the passage uses affluent specifically.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'a sport for the affluent ... expensive private schools' = Summary: 'only ___ parents could afford'
Tips: When the passage introduces a topic with a key adjective, that adjective often reappears or is the answer. Here, 'affluent' sets the theme for the whole paragraph.
Key Vocabulary:
- affluent = wealthy / rich
- intrinsically = by its nature
Question Focus: Naming an expensive training facility mentioned in the passage
Correct Answer: rowing tanks
Passage Reference: new training devices are developed - such as rowing tanks, where oarsmen can row indoors.
Why this is correct: The summary says these schools have expensive facilities like ___. The passage mentions 'new training devices are developed - such as rowing tanks, where oarsmen can row indoors'. So the answer is rowing tanks.
Common Mistake: Writing indoor pools or training devices would be incorrect. The passage gives a specific example after 'such as'. Copy that example exactly.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'new training devices ... such as rowing tanks' = Summary: 'expensive facilities like ___'
Tips: Words like 'such as', 'for example', and 'like' signal that a specific example follows. That example is often your answer.
Key Vocabulary:
- rowing tanks = indoor pools designed for rowing practice
- facilities = equipment and buildings for a specific activity
The rest of this explanation is for members. Sign in free to read why the other options are wrong, key words and tips.
Sign in to read the full explanation